Now we turn to jobs in america, the unemployment rate ticking down today to 7.4%. 162,000 jobs added last month. Inside what is considered a steady but not sterling number, there is a silver lining, a kind of hidden hiring boom. Abc's rebecca jarvis has more. Reporter: At the minneapolis fire department, they see this. And this. Almost every day. But it's been years since they've seen this. The first new hires since january 2008. We had initially 5,000 applications. Paper applications picked up to be filled out. Reporter: Police chief john fruetel says they're finally lifting a five-year hiring freeze, and now the floodgates are open. He's filling 40 spots with these cadets. I am cautiously optimistic. I think you're seeing cautious optimism around the country. Reporter: So what's driving this uptick? Housing. When home prices rise, that means more property taxes lining city coffers, and the money for firefighters, police, and teachers trickles in. So far this year, local governments have hired 46,000 new workers. If forecasters are right, that number will double by year end. Meaning more good news for new cadets like brad lange. Great job. I won the lottery. In eight of the last nine months, cities around the country have added firefighters, teachers and police. And many believe tonight we've turned a corner in terms of that type of hiring, things looking better. Great, rebecca, thanks so much.

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